Conversion of continuous filaments into yarn containing staple fiber



April 5, 1938. w. TAYLQR 2,112,931

CONVERSION OF CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS IN TO' YARN CONTAINING STAPLE FIBER Filed March s, 1936 INVENTO/P W b5 3% OJ ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES CONVERSION OF CONTINUOUS FILAMENTS INTO YARN CONTAINING STAPLE FIBEB' William Ivan Taylor, Spondon, near Derby, England, assignor to Cclanesc Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application March a, 1936, Serial No. cases In Great Britain March c, 1935 5 Claims.

This invention relates to methods and apparatus for the conversion of continuous filaments directly into yarn containing staple fiber.

According to the invention a bundle of continuous filaments is caused to pass between two surfaces, at least one of which is a cutting surface, which together make substantially point contact with the bundle at a point in its length, -one surface moving in the same general direction as the bundle at the same or at a different speed, while the other surface moves at a different speed from the first-mentioned surface. The surface moving in the same general direction asthe bundle is positively driven, while the other surface is caused to move at a different speed by means of a vaned member which is caused by fluid action to rotate at a different speed from that which the positively driven surface tends to impose, e. g. by means of a jet of compressed air directed on to its vanes, or simply by the resistance 'of the surrounding air to rotation of the vanes. 'The vane wheel may be directly connected to the roller, e. g. mounted on the same spindle, this arrangement being particularly suitable foruse with an air jet to-control the roller speed, or the member may be connected to the roller by gearing, e. g. step-up gearing, .to increase the speed of rotation of the vanes, and consequently the resistance to the motion of the vanes through the air. By reason of the passage of' the filaments between the surfaces and the different speeds of the surfaces, the filaments in the bundles are transformed into staple fibers.

While in general apparatus of the type indicatedabove operates with the roller connected to the vane member rotating at a slower peripheral speed than the speed of the positively driven member, the roller may actually rotate in the reverse direction by application of a sufiiciently powerful air jet. Care should be taken, however,

to .ensure that the force applied by the jet does I not unduly increase the pressure exerted between the two surfaces on the filament bundle.

In all cases the difference of speed between the two surfaces which are pressed together should be adjusted in accordance with the nature of the material under treatment and the characteristics desired in the final product. The invention permits the necessary adjustment of speed to be effected while allowing substantially independent control of the pressure exerted between the surfaces to be maintained, and so readily permits the use of greater or less pressure where necessary, as with the treatment of filament bundles of greater or less denier. By reason of thepassage the rollers.

of the filaments between the surfaces and the light pressure exerted between the'surfaces, the filaments in the bundle are transformed, into staple fibers, and the filaments leave the surfaces as yarn containing staple fiber.

The operation of converting continuous filaments in the bundle into staple fibers as described above does not substantially affect thedegree of twist which the bundle may possess. However, when the bundle has little or no twist, the product should be collected, after the conversion of the filaments into staple fibers, by a twisting and winding operation to impart to it a. twist which may be the amount of twist required in the final product, or may need to be augment-' ed by further twisting. In either case, the twist so imparted during winding maintains the coherence of the product. Alternatively, the coherence may be maintained by reason of a substantial initial degree of twist in the" continuous filament bundle, which twist, as previously stated, is practically unaffected by the conversion.

.Other factors governing the nature of the final product, which factors may be varied as required, are the nature of the cutting surface, the speed of progression of the filament bundle through the apparatus, the difference between the speed of the surface or surfaces and the filaments, the fineness of the individual filaments in the bundle, and the amount of twist in the bundle.

The cutting surface may be of an abrasive nature, e. g. a roller surfaced with or made of abrasive material. It is, however, advantageous to employ a cutting roller provided with fine sharp-edged flutes running either helically or substantially parallel to the axis of the roller, a roller of this type providing for greater control over the properties of the final product. Both surfaces may have a cutting action, for example both surfaces may consist of fluted cutting rollers, the flutes running in such directions as to cross each other at the point of contact between One roller, however, may have a plain surface.

It is advantageous to allow the weight of one of the rollers to provide the necessary light pressure between the surfaces, and it is generally I difi'erent kinds of continuous filaments; e. g. cellulose derivative filaments: such as cellulose acetate filaments, cellulosic filaments such as viscose filaments, and natural silk filaments.

= By way of example a form of apparatus suitable for the production of staple fiber yarn from a bundle of continuous filaments, and provided with means according to the present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus and Fig. 2 shows an alternative form of the means according to the present invention.

above the rollers.

In Fig. 1 the apparatus comprises generally two pairs of rollers I, 2, 3, 4, the rollers I and 3 being mounted on positively driven shafts I and 6 while the rollers 2 and 4 are carried on a bracket 1 suspended from a stationary shaft I The roller 2 iscarried in slotted bearings 9 in a member II secured to the bracket 1 by means of a nut and bolt II passing through a slot I2 in the bracket I so that the wards to the rollers 3, 4. The roller 3 is grooved so that it grips the filaments with the aid of the roller 4, and is driven at a higher'speed than the roller I. In consequence the bundle of continuous filaments is caused to slip over the surface of the roller I. The roller I is provided with flutes making sharp edges with the surface of the roller, so that the roller I exerts a cutting action on the filaments and converts the bundle of continuous filaments, into a continuous bundle of staple fibers I5. This bundle proceeds downwards to the guide I6 of a cap-spinning device II by means of which it is twisted and spun into a staple fiber yarn and wound on the package I8 which is driven by means of the band I9.

The weight of the roller 2 rests upon the roller I by reason of a clearance 20 at the bottom of the slotted bearing 9. The roller 2 is thus driven by the frictional engagement with the roller and would, if not prevented, rotate at the same speed as the roller I. In. order, if desired, to 'cause the roller 2 to rotate at a lower speed than the roller I the roller 2 is provided,with a vane wheel 2| mounted on the roller spindle 22 outside the bearing 9.- In addition there is provided an air tube 23 secured by means of a bolt 24 to the top of the bracket I and supplied from an air line 25 through a cock 26. The air from the tube 23 impinges upon the vanes 2| of the vane wheel 2| and causes the roller 2 to rotate more slowly than the roller I or even to stop or rotate in the reverse direction if desired. .1'

In Fig. 2 an alternative form of apparatus is shown in which the spindle 22 and the roller 2 is mounted in plain bearingsin a lever 30 pivoted on a shaft 3| carried by the bracket I, so that the roller 2 is free to rise and fall slightly with relation to the roller I. The spindle 22 of the roller 2 carries outside the lever 30 a gear wheel 32 engaging with a gear 33 secured to a larger gear 34 and mounted on the arm 20. The gear wheel 34 engages with a further gear wheel 25 mounted on and secured to the shaft 3| at the pivot point of the lever 30. The shaft 3| carries four vanes 36 which vanes are rotated through the train of ears 32, 33, 34, 35 by the rotation of the roller 2. The resistance to the vanes 23 to rotation therefore checks the rotation of the roller 2 and causes it to rotate at a lower speed than the roller I with which it is in driving contact.

Having described my invention what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Process for the production from a bundle of continuous filaments of a continuous product containing staple fibers, said process comprising passing a bundle of continuous filaments between two cylindrical surfaces, causing said'cylindrical surfaces to press together so as to exert pressure in a plane substantially perpendicular to the path of said bundle, positively-driving one of said surfaces, permitting .the other of said surfaces to be driven by said positively driven surface, and resisting the rotation of said other surface by fiuid action so as to cause it to rotate at a differcut peripheral speed from that of said positively driven surface, one at least of said cylindrical surfaces being a cutting surface so that by reason of the passage of'the filaments between the surfaces and the different speeds of the surfaces the filaments in the bundle are transformed into staple fibers.

2. Apparatus for the production from a bundle of continuous filaments of a continuous product containing staple fibers, said apparatus comprising a pair of rollers, one at least of said rollers having a cutting surface, means for drawing a of continuous filaments of a continuous product containing staple fibers, said apparatus comprising a pair of rollers, one at least of said rollers having a cutting surface, means for drawing a bundle of continuous filaments through said pair of rollers, means for pressing said rollers together so as to exert pressure upon the bundle of filaments passing between them, means for positively driving one of said rollers, a vane wheel connected to the other of said rollers, and means for impinging a jet of air on to said vane wheel so as to resist its rotation and to cause said other roller. to rotateat a different peripheral speed from that of said positively driven roller.

4. Apparatus for the production from a bundle of continuous filaments of a continuous product containing staple fibers, said apparatus comprising a, pair of rollers, one at least of said rollers having a cutting surface, means for drawing a bundle of continuous filaments through said pair of rollers, means for pressing said rollers together so as to exert pressure upon the bundle of fila- 5. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each of said rollers has a cutting surface.

WILLIAM IVAN TAYLOR. 

